Frittata di Pane e Pomodori

Almost every day we have toast with cheese and poached eggs. This is almost that breakfast... with a few additions. The first ripe tomato of the season was the most notable of them. Putting stale bread right in the frittata is surprisingly good, and something I would like to do more often.

The bread should be a good one, but fairly stale is fine, in fact an improvement. I can't say exactly how much milk to use; with the tomato it should be sufficient to dampen and soften the bread, without making it soggy. You'll have to use your judgement. If you can let the mixture sit for a few minutes before cooking, you should have a good idea how it's looking and you could add a little more as needed, so as ever it's better to be conservative to start with.

I'd say the garlic and fresh basil are optional, except that really, they're not. This wouldn't have been half so good without them.

1 to 2 servings
20 minutes prep time

1 medium ripe tomato OR 6 to 8 cherry tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1 sprig of basil
1 cup diced stale Italian bread, crusts trimmed
1 to 2 tablespoons milk OR cream
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 to 4 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated or finely diced melty cheese of your choice
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil OR olive oil

 Blanch the tomato or tomatoes, and peel them. Dice them and put them in a mixing bowl. Peel and mince the garlic. Wash, dry, and shred the basil. Add both to the tomatoes.

Cut or break up the bread, and sprinkle it with the milk to soften it. Add it to the tomatoes and mix in well. Season with salt and pepper. Break in the eggs and mix them into the tomatoes thoroughly. Let the mixture sit for 5 or 10 minutes if possible.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (usual temperature for cooking eggs). Turn on the broiler. When the pan is hot, scrape in the eggs and tomatoes and spread the mixture out evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the frittata. When the bottom of it is well set, place the pan under the broil and cook until the top is set, then serve.




Last year at his time I made Zucchini & Tomato Salad with Basil & Balsamic Vinegar. Apparently mid-August brings out the Italian in me...

Posted in: Ontario Food